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Fiery foodies gather ‘round and have a napkin handy: The national Food Truck Mash-Up tour is returning to Cathedral City.

The popular and oh-so-delicious outing, produced by USA Today Network Events, rolls into Town Square Park on Saturday, March 16. This is the third time the event, part of a series of Food Truck Mash-Ups taking place in other cities across the country, hits the valley and the second time it’s being held in Cathedral City.

Locally, it will feature nearly 20 of Southern California’s most popular food trucks and their savvy chefs diligently working grillside.

Expect everything from Korean-inspired wings and sliders, Maine lobster, specialty tacos, ice cream worthy of second and third helpings, Filipino delights, and luscious burgers that require two hands to devour — and so much more.

Attendees have the opportunity to vote for their favorite feast mobiles, all of which are competing for the title of Best Food Truck 2019. With such popular trucks as Cousins Maine Lobster, Baby’s Badass Burgers, Mess Hall Canteen, BrewWings and Mahalo Shave Ice, which donates some of its profits to help orphans in Baja California, Mexico, there’s no shortage of variety.

Still, the competition is tight. Several food trucks have captured the national spotlight.

Cousins Maine Lobster, which nabbed the Fan Favorite title at last year’s event, is the culinary offspring of real-life cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac. The pair landed a coveted deal from investor Barbara Corcoran after they appeared on the hit show “Shark Tank” shortly after launching their business in 2012.

The cousins now oversee a mammoth enterprise with 30 trucks across the country, several restaurants, a franchise system, a popular book (“Cousins Maine Lobster: How One Food Truck Became a Multimillion-dollar Business”) and speaking engagements. Plus, they extend a philanthropic hand — their Cousins for a Cause program donates 100 percent of its donations directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“It’s been an amazing ride,” Tselikis says of the last seven years.

He credits Cousins’ success, in part, to the relatively simple concept: being family-owned and privately held, and having a deep desire to offer the public the Maine lobster dishes he and cousin Lomac grew up enjoying on the East Coast.

“I think people want to know where their food is coming from,” he adds. “It’s like, ‘Hey, these guys are from Maine and they get their live lobsters from seven buying places down the coast of Maine.’ It makes people feel good about the food, and the brand is energetic and lively. It tells a story.”

It’s also telling of the growing popularity of food trucks nationwide, which has been on the rise ever since the 2008 recession. According to IBISWorld, a market research firm, there are more than 4,000 food trucks across the nation and industry revenue has increased 7.9 percent annually from 2011 to 2016.

That bodes well for a truck like Baby’s Badass Burgers, brought to life nine years ago by Erica Cohen and L.A event planner Lori Barbera. Baby’s also landed on “Shark Tank” and while they did not land a deal, it was a blessing in disguise. Cohen and Barbera wound up adding more of their food trucks throughout Southern California and expanded into other cities, such as Houston and New Orleans.

Their concept won people over — bountiful burgers, hip female servers and bubble gum pink trucks. Celebrity sightings — from Kyle Jenner to Jimmy Fallon — didn’t hurt, either, but Cohen feels the growing popularity of food trucks and mash-up events like the one in Cathedral City are appealing because, at their core, they unite the community.

“Food truck culture is just really fun,” Cohen says. “It’s a close-knit group of people who are very artistic and creative. A lot of it is chef-driven. You also get to see other food trucks and chefs and get to know them. You don’t get that from the restaurant world. There’s a lot of camaraderie.”

Attendees voting for Best Food Truck 2019 locally will automatically be entered to win a gift card at the mash-up. Another festive giveaway allows patrons to enter to win $20 in “Mash-Up Cash” every hour.

Tempting? You bet.

Entertainment is on the roster, too. A DJ will be spinning all day and night, and the Cathedral City Evening Rotary, as part of its “Movies in the Park” series, will screen the animated film “Coco" at 7 p.m.

Not to be left out: charitable contributions. Indio’s FIND Food Bank, the sole regional food bank serving eastern Riverside and south San Bernadino counties and an organization that distributes food to approximately 85,000 individuals monthly, will be onsite to educate people about its various programs.

All that’s left is your appetite.

And certainly that Instagram app.

IF YOU GO

What: Food Truck Mash-Up produced by USA Today Network events

When: Noon (early access); 1:30-9pm (General Admission)

Where: Town Square Park, 68-700 Avenue Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City

Tickets: $20 Early access (available for purchase online only); $5 (online, $8 at the gate) General admission; Military, veterans and first responders free; children 5 and under free; $15 Family & Friends Four-pack (includes four tickets; online purchase only)